A Match Made in Heaven
by disneyfreak18
Summary: Judd Thompson knows that his feelings for Vicki are growing stronger, but he doesn't know how to tell her, or if he should. Will he ever get the chance to show her how he really feels, before it's too late? Judd/Vicki
1. Chapter 1

Judd Thompson Jr. walked through the hallway of Prospect High and put his hands in his black leather jacket pockets. He coped an attitude with every person who tried to talk to him, teacher or student. He wanted everyone to know that he didn't want to be there. Even if it meant getting in trouble, he didn't care.

He reached his locker and opened it, pulling his Psychology book out. He shut the door and walked further down the east hall, towards his Psyche class; when all of the sudden, the principle stopped him in his tracks.

"Good afternoon, Mr. Thompson," Mrs. Laverne Jenness said while putting a hand on his shoulder. "And just where do you think you're going?"

He shrugged it off. "On my way to Psychology."

He started to walk off but she stopped him again. "I'm sure Mr. Shellenberger wouldn't mind if you were a little late to class, seeing as though you rarely show up much anymore."

Judd was stunned. He hadn't thought anyone had seen him leave, but maybe someone had. Could they have ratted him out? _Whoever did this_, Judd thought. _I'm gonna get them for it._

He sighed. "So, where are we going?"

"Detention," came her answer. She escorted Judd through the halls and past the cafeteria to a solid white room with big letters painted on the door in gold that spelled _Detention Center_.

She opened the door and Judd walked in, feeling his anger rising up more and more. There were at least 15 other teens in the room, all laughing and throwing wadded up papers at each other. Most of the kids looked younger than him, but there were a few people he knew in there also. A section of the kids in the back, which he knew to be the kids from the trailer park in Prospect Gardens, all seemed to be wearing black leather and flashy tops that looked tacky with their old jeans and skirts.

He sat down in a chair at the back corner of the room, a few seats over from the trailer kids, and put his elbows on the table with his head in his hands. He felt a headache starting to come on. Oh, how he hated detention. If he could just make it through this torture, he'd find some way to never come back. But how?

As he kept thinking, Mrs. Jenness stepped up to the front of the class room and drew everyone's attention.

"Good day everyone," she said in a soft, yet mocking tone. "As most of you know from past experience here, there is to be no talking, no passing notes, no playing games, no cell phones, no…" She rambled off a list of rules she somehow expected everyone to follow, which was seldom accomplished.

As she kept talking, the door suddenly swung open, and in stepped a tall young girl with fiery red hair. Dressed in skin-tight leather, she pranced into the room and crossed her arms. The principle looked over to her and smiled.

"Ah, Miss Byrne, so nice of you to drop in."

Judd watched the girl roll her eyes, hand Mrs. Jenness her detention slip, and take a seat next to his. She looked like she had had a rough day so far, and being in detention wasn't making it any better. She leaned back in her chair and cross her legs, putting out a careless attitude. He recognized her from church when his parents wouldn't let him get away with staying home, and knew she was trailer trash. _That explains the look_, Judd thought to himself.

"All right, now that you all know the rules, I shall leave you to follow them. I will be checking back here within the hour. And remember, no talking," Mrs. Jenness said, putting a finger to her lips and slipping out the door.

When everyone knew the principle was well down the hallway, the chattering began. The kids talked, texted, threw things, and did just about everything else that they had been told not to do. Although Judd considered himself to be a rebel, or at least wanted to, he did not participate in what the others were doing. He thought of himself as more mature than them, and turned his head anytime a balled up piece of paper was thrown his way.

He leaned his head on the desk and thought about catching up on his sleep, but decided against it. There wasn't any chance for sleep anyway, with all of the noise. He was so tired, and before he realized what he was doing, his eyes searched around the room and seemed to land on the redheaded girl. She didn't look that old, despite her trashy makeup, and Judd guessed she was a freshman. Most juniors, like him, would never get caught talking or even looking at a freshman, but for some reason, she seemed to catch his eye. He didn't know why, seeing as he knew she was from the trailer park and would never be his type.

What was his type, exactly? He was rebellious, of course, but his family was a lot wealthier and he had a lot more things. He knew that wasn't a good excuse for being so judgmental, but he couldn't help it. That was the way everyone was.

But he still couldn't seem to take his eyes off of her. He wasn't attracted to her or anything, and he told himself maybe it was just because he was fascinated with how she acted, being from a trailer park and all. He watched as she, like him, didn't participate in all the rule breaking, and instead, seemed to sit back in her chair and try to relax. It seemed to Judd that she was trying to tune the noises out, but it wasn't working. Her face looked agitated, and he knew she was having the same problem as him. But still, he couldn't find enough courage in himself to speak to a trailer girl.

But he didn't have to. A few seconds after he took his eyes off of the girl and reached for his Psychology book, he heard the girl's voice coming from his other side.

"Hey," she questioned. "What's your name?" Her voice didn't sound as tough as he thought it would have, but even with its girlish tone, still had a bit of an edge.

He didn't know what to say, or how to respond, or even if he should respond, so he pretended not to hear her. He knew that it would come off very rude, but right then he didn't care. All he wanted to do was get out of there. He didn't have time to deal with some spunky trailer girl.

The girl finally got the hint and ignored him back, confirming her thoughts on stuck up rich kids. If he didn't want to talk to her, then she didn't want to talk to him. She just sat there, bored, for the rest of the hour. Judd did the same.

Little did they know that soon, they would be brought together through the most horrifying disaster the world will ever know.


	2. Chapter 2

A dream. It had all been just a dream. But it hadn't been, he knew that. It had been very real. But why hadn't he recognized Vicki when he first met her at the church? He knew the day's event had taken its toll on all of them, but how could he possibly have forgotten such a dream…such a girl…

Judd's eyes popped open and scanned the room. It seemed awfully bright for 7:30 in the morning. He let his eyes de-fog, and glanced at the alarm clock. _3 minutes after noon!_ How could he have possibly slept that long? It wasn't like him at all, or at least not since the rapture. Before, he would gripe and complain if his mother even attempted to get him up before 10, and once he had actually thrown a pillow at her! But that had all changed for some reason when he gave his life to Christ. For what reason, he didn't know, but he felt like he needed to get up earlier, as some sort of responsibility. Maybe it was just the feeling of having people considered to be in "his care" living in his house. Whatever the reason was, he had done it.

He rolled out of bed and stretched his arms above his head, and felt as though he had let half of the day slip away from him.

He quickly went in the bathroom and undressed, stepping into the hot shower and relaxing a bit. With the water pressure on high, his mind started laying out the list of things to do. He really needed to clean the house up a bit, for a reason unknown to him. It wasn't a huge priority, he figured, but it was starting to get to the point where it really bothered him. He also wanted to see how Mark was doing, and check to see if he had thought about backing out of the militia. Judd worried about him being in a group like that, and didn't like the idea of trying to _fight_ the GC. But if that's what Mark wanted to do…

He also wanted to go see Bruce. The pastor hadn't been feeling so well ever since their return, and although he denied it, everyone saw that whatever he caught and taken its toll. Bruce ran out of energy faster, kept losing his train of thought, and always seemed distant when he tried to start up a conversation. He wanted to make sure that his friend was all right.

But there was another reason he wanted to see Bruce. Judd still didn't know how or if he should admit it, but he wanted to talk to Bruce about…relationships. He knew the pastor would probably tell him that he was just going through a stage of loneliness, or that it wasn't the best time to start up with something like that. And Judd knew he would be right, but still…he left a small ounce of hope in his heart that Bruce might actually sit down and give him advice.

He had wanted to talk with Bruce about Vicki. He knew that she was like a sister to him, and she probably didn't feel anything like that towards him at all. But deep down, if he was completely honest with himself, he wished that he could have a moment with her alone. Sometime when they weren't being chased, spied on, or interrupted or anything. He just wanted some time to talk with her. He knew all too well that something like that would never happen. Never in a million years would Vicki probably feel any sort of attraction towards him. She always told him, and Lionel and Ryan, that they were her brothers for life, and that she'd never trade them for anything. _That's all I am to her_, he thought. _Just a big brother_.

Judd let the warm water fill up his cupped hands, and splashed himself in the face to try and wake up. He had no idea why he was so out of it. It wasn't like he had had trouble sleeping. In fact, it had been quite the opposite. His dream still lingered in the back of his mind, and his heart raced as he contemplated how else that day could have gone. But it was over and done with, and there was no use thinking about it.

He finally got out of the shower, and looked under the sink for a towel. Water ran down his chiseled features, and his dark hair stuck to his forehead. When he couldn't find anything, he yelled.

"Lionel!"

He heard footsteps at the door.

"What is it, man?"

"There's no towel in here, I thought you did laundry yesterday?" he said, shaking his head to rid his hair of the excess water.

"Oh," Lionel said, laughing slightly. "Whoops. I'll be right back."

While Lionel went to go fetch a towel, he thought about how he might approach Bruce on the topic of romance. _Hey Bruce, I have a question_. Nope, that sounded kind of childish. _Bruce, can I ask you something?_ No way, he would never be able to finish his sentence. After thinking of numerous ways to start off the conversation, he sighed and gave up. Maybe he just needed to calm down so he could think straight.

Lionel brought him a towel and Judd dried off. Then he wrapped his lower half up and walked over to his bedroom, getting dressed and tying on his shoes. Judd opened his door and jogged down the stairs, where Lionel and Ryan were watching the news and having lunch.

"This is boring," Ryan said. "Let's turn it off."

"Shh, wait. I wanna hear this."

Ryan crossed his arms. "Lionel, we've been watching the news for an hour. Time's up!" He started to wrestle the remote away from Lionel when Judd broke it up. "Alright you two, don't start."

"He started it," Lionel stated.

"Only because you wouldn't turn the TV off!" Ryan chimed in.

"Enough!" Judd said. "Both of you."

Ryan let out a _humph_ in defeat, and sat down on the couch to continue his sandwich. Judd raided the refrigerator in search for something to eat. The only thing he saw that looked good was a container of yogurt. He ripped the lid off, ate it quickly, and walked over to get the keys from the computer desk.

"Hey I'll see you guys later, I'm gonna go talk to Bruce."

Ryan looked up. "Can I come?"

"Yeah Judd, me too. Please?"

Judd shook his head, not wanting to give the full reason. "No, not this time. I just…I want it to be personal. Maybe next time guys."

Lionel and Ryan looked disappointed, but went back to their lunch and said nothing more about it. Judd grabbed the keys, and closed the door behind him.

As Judd approached the small brick church, he was extremely surprised to see Vicki standing at the front doors, as if afraid to go in for some reason.

"Keeping watch?" he asked, jokingly.

Vicki smiled. "You haven't heard about the wedding?" She looked so beautiful today, as she did everyday. But her red hair was a bit wavier than usual today, and her bluish green eyes sparkled in the sun. He imagined going up to her and putting his hand behind the back of her head, gently inching her towards himself. _Okay, back up_. He mentally shook himself to reality. Now what was this about a wedding?

"Wedding?"

"Oh Judd," she said in a teasing manner. "You haven't noticed? The love bug came around a short time ago, and it bit everyone hard."

_You're telling me_, Judd wished he could say out loud. "Who got bit?"

"Chloe, Buck, Captain Steele, and this lady named Amanda White. She's kinda tall, around Mr. Steele's age, streaked hair, and an amazing fashion sense."

Judd nodded. "So, this wedding is for…all of them?"

Vicki shook her head, grinning. "And it was the most romantic proposal I've ever heard of! Buck surprised Chloe in Amanda's office and proposed to her in one room, while her dad was proposing to Amanda in the other." She sighed. "The only problem is, now we're losing Chloe. She and Buck are moving to New York."

Judd looked at her and couldn't help but give a small smile. He walked over to the door and motioned for her to join him. They crept into Bruce's office outside of the main sanctuary, and listened in. They could hear Bruce telling the couples where to stand, and began leading them through the double ceremony.

"I'm not going to preach a sermon," Bruce was saying. "You've heard enough of those. But I do want to challenge you. With what lies ahead, with the uncertainty all around us, cling to each other. Love each other. Forgive each other. Put each other's needs ahead of your own, as Christ did. And let no one, _no one_, come between what God has divinely joined."

Judd watched as Vicki listened to the vows being said, and smiled. For some strange reason, he so wished that those words Bruce had just said were meant for them. He somehow wished that God would answer his prayers about Vicki. She was so kind, so thoughtful, and so loving. She lit up the room wherever she was. Her personality and spirit was something Judd wished he had more of, and he silently prayed that deep down, she felt the same for him. Somehow…

As Bruce was finishing up, Judd and Vicki stepped outside the church and leaned against the building.

"Makes you wonder, doesn't it?" Judd said without thinking.

"Wonder what?"

_Oh great, now he'd done it_. Just when he thought he was going to get through a whole conversation with her without embarrassing himself. "You know," he said, pawing the gravel with his foot. "That kind of stuff."

Vicki glanced at him, trying to hold back a small grin. "What kind of stuff?"

He began to feel nervous, and felt his cheeks begin to burn. "You know."

Vicki laughed. "Judd Thompson, this is the first time I've seen you blush!"

Judd was so embarrassed by her comment that he couldn't speak. He stammered for what felt like ages, before Vicki stopped giggling and saved him.

"You know Captain Steele and Amanda are moving to New Babylon?"

Judd was thankful she had changed the subject. "You're kidding!"

"Carpathia wants all his staff there."

Judd gazed at the trees, and the branches slightly blowing in the warm breeze. He felt tingly inside, but he liked it. He turned towards Vicki directly, looking into those beautiful eyes of hers. His heart melted and he could feel his legs get wobbly, but he controlled himself. It was time…time to tell her the truth.

"Vicki," he said as she returned his soft gaze. "I've always wondered whether-"

Just as he was in mid-sentence, Bruce and the two new couples strolled out of the office.

"Hey kids," Bruce said. "I'd like you to meet Rayford and Amanda Steele, and Chloe and Buck Williams."

Judd could tell he was blushing again, and wished it would stop. He turned just in time, though, to see Vicki glance at him and smile. Her rosy cheeks, too, turning a deeper shade of pink.

He gently smiled at her, and began talking to Bruce and the couples. But in the back of his mind, he couldn't help but wonder if Vicki actually felt the same way.


End file.
